Digital Foundry Gives Its Analysis of L.A. Noire on Nintendo Switch

I'm picking it up soon and I'm excited to give it a shot on a portable system!

I love making unexpected outbursts of intense accusations on the go!

The real meat here is that they arrive at the gun store one minute earlier in the Switch version.

So you get bigger blood splatter on PS4?

"Red Dead Redemption" Switch next? Pretty please Rock*?

Not as good as LA Confidential.

So on Switch we can see two trees less in the background and 5,7 pixels less on the criminal's face. Hmmm. I'll go for Switch.

It's all a load of bollocks, console wars is for losers. My dad's bigger than your dad syndrome

@WhistleFish It's just an analysis. They're not fighting over anything.

If only there was no need to download the game for the physical copy, I'd get it in the blink of an eye...

@SaKo
I ain't talking about digital foundry, i like what they do. I am talking about the many comments on NL over the months, it's a bit off topic but just had to say it, i should have explained my comment better, my bad

@WhistleFish These analysis are very good, DF goes into technical details, etc. Problem is that there are some stupid people in the internet which MUST tell you that their console of choice is better. And they're very loud. Sadly, we really can't do anything about it.

Enjoying it. I missed it back in 2011. Picked it up last month for the PS3 for £2.87 @ Amazon

@Shiryu Red Dead Redemption 1 is not likely to be re-released on any new consoles. Apparently they lost much of the documentation or original coding for game.

I got my fingers crossed for the sequel, though.

Must say that November has been a very long month in terms of $$ for me but I've managed to get all major releases.
Currently playing Doom and the next one on my list is L.A Noire, can't wait to start it !
Next game on my list to purchase and probably the last one this year will be RE Revelations 1&2 if they get good reviews in terms of performance.
Cannot wait for next year games. I hope that in January we will have good surprises at Nintendo's direct.

@ballistic90 Got any receipts on that, strengah? Like a source?

Why isn't anyone comparing the Switch version with the PC. That would be the only useful comparison for me.

Really enjoying it (25+ hours in). The gameplay is not as fun as a GTA but the investigation scheme is quite cool. Had to stop doom for a while until I finish this (and then I had to stop for the arms new party...) Nothing to play.. it is a Shame...

Out of interest how much more powerful is the Switch v's Wii U? Anyone know?

I think the takeaway message from this, is that the Switch is a portable console/handheld, and it is clearly doing well to be even contesting the current gen consoles. I would have been mightily surprised if he stated it was better in everyway to the PS4/XBox One variants.

Things have come a long way from the Game Gear/Game Boy ports of full console (SNES/Megadrive) games.

@datamonkey Well without being too techinal, the WiiU's major bottle-neck is it's horribly slow and outdated cpu. The Switch clocks much higher cpu speeds considering the optimization of the Tegra chip. The gpu clocks higher speeds as well but, it's so important to mention the cpu being able to fully power the gpu where as the WiiU had a tough time. Also, the chipset is compatible with newer graphics engines, like Unreal4, where the WiiU was not. The last huge point is the WiiU had 1 gb of DDR3 ram to load assets into and read from. This is highly limiting to the "size and scope" of a games build. The Switch has 4 gb of DDR5 ram which loads faster, holds and "remembers" more data and can maintain the quality of higher textures and effects better than the older DDR3. So you could effectively build a bigger, faster loading, better looking and sounding game on the Switch than on the WiiU or older hardware like the PS3/360. It's still not quite as effective in the raw graphical performance department as the PS4/Xone models though some analysts claim the base model Xone is not too much more capable than the Switch is in docked mode. I hope that sheds some light.

@ballistic90 That is truly disconcerting news. =(

Excellent game! played a chapter in work on handheld, 2 coworkers watched intently my progress like it's a TV series.

Portability trumps fidelity.

@Balta666 Did Rockstar still refuse to put in an invertible x-axis?

I have the game and its a great port. Looks good, runs good. Very impressed all around.

I've only played the Switch version, and that part in the park where you're chasing some guy and it goes in slow motion... It really took me out of the game. I'm not much further than that, but if there are more sections that perform like that I'll be a bit disappointed.

I wonder if they could remedy these problems with a patch, or is this really a case of the Switch just not being as powerful as even the PS3?

Either way it's mightily impressive for a handheld. I play almost soley docked, though.

@JaxonH
Hey, do you play Doom multiplayer. If so is there a big userbase, can you always get a match

@WhistleFish
Team Deathmatch fills up quick. Some of the other niche modes are best suited for private matches with friends.

@Moon
It's not a matter of "not being as powerful as PS3". Issues are far, far more complex than that.

In 7th gen, consoles were all CPU focused, for the most part. In fact, on paper the PS3 CPU outperforms even the PS4 CPU. But the GPU's were a joke. Sony wasn't even going to include a GPU until the last minute when they discovered Xbox 360 would have one.

8th gen, consoles have changed. Now they are GPU focused. CPU still plays a role but the GPU is far more important. Switch CPU is less than both PS4 and PS3, at least on paper. It's clocked much lower. Although it does have 4 cores, 3 of which can be used for games. And it is much more modern which means more efficien.

But PS3 games require heavy reliance on CPU. This is why Wii U ports, despite Wii U being more powerful than PS3/360, often didn't run as well. And the same is true for Switch, especially in handheld mode which halves the performance.

So no, PS3 is not more powerful than Switch. Even Wii U outclasses PS3 and Switch outclasses Wii U. We see the evidence of this all around. But 7th gen ports from the CPU-intense PS3 will be lucky to run with parity on Switch. Of course, we see improvements in all other aspects. 1080p (PS3 was only 720p) is the biggest. But if you watch the video you'll notice there are many other improvements in many other areas. And this is true for a lot of games.

But that won't always be the case. 360 ports should fare better than PS3 ports (in theory anyways). PS3 was by far the more CPU-intense platform and LA Noire was developed on PS3 as lead platform. For games developed with 360 as lead platform they should fare better on Switch.

That said, the fact such a CPU-intense game ported from PS3 can run so well on Switch, even in handheld mode, is a great sign. I have this game and it looks fantastic on Switch. Aside from resolution it looks very comparable to PS4 as much as PS3.

@JimmySpades to be frank I don't know because I don't like to play inverted (and I did not bring my switch with me today because I will go to the pub after work...)

Given the comments here I would assume people didn't even bother with the analysis. It's not good. People should stop deluding themselves.

I'll probably get this. Just need to 100% Odyssey first. And maybe start Skyrim.

As a game, there is hardly anything like it either.

@JaxonH Thanks for filling me in. The technical aspects are totally over my head but you did a good job of breaking it down. This has left me wondering though, do you think a port of GTA IV or V would be possible on the Switch? Would the CPU be a problem?

@Geowolf There isn't much to say about the PC version compared to -for example- the XBOX One X version. Obviously it runs higher than 30 FPS, but it doesn't do anything groundbreaking in terms of assets or rendering techniques. Those are pretty much on par with the latest gen consoles. Also... hi! ;D

@Moon
Ya. I mean, LA Noire is running satisfactorily, and it was from PS3 as lead platform. It might not be perfect (what Switch multiplat is) but GTAV could certainly run. 7th gen games are ripe for porting to Switch. It would require some expertise to port like any game but, I don't think there's a game out there from 7th gen that couldn't run in a playable state given proper attention.

@LeRaposa
Technical analyses nitpicks every little flaw and magnifies it. They even said "that's not to say the game runs poorly because it stays at 30fps most of the time, just don't expect perfection". And it still has a number of improvements like 1080p, even in handheld runs at 720p like the source material... And that's perfectly acceptable for most people.

Will pick it up when/if it hits <$30. Have stated before I'm too bothered by the download size required to get the full single-player experience to pay full price, but really want to try out the game. Hoping for a great sale price in the near future.

@JaxonH
Just a slight clarification. Only the gpu is throttled in handheld mode. Both the CPU and system ram remains at the same clock speed.

$10 dollars on PC. Unless you are homeless, no point buying this version for $50.

@LeRaposa or you ignored all the positives of the switch version and are just concentrating on the negatives

Would of thought PS4 would be 60fps...

@Agramonte What if you want to play this on go? in bed or in the loo?

It's games like this is why I think the Switch is the perfect gaming console to have right now.

Roll on GTA V next Rock*

I didn't think LA Noire was a game that warranted a second playthrough. It's best aspect is the super linear story and once you see it, there's nothing left. I had no interest in buying it again

@Prof_Yoshtonics "some analysts claim the base model Xone is not too much more capable than the Switch is in docked mode".

Whoever claims that is obviously wrong, basic Xbox One has a better CPU than PS4 and PS4 has a better GPU and faster RAM, but Switch is still miles behind both, as you can see in all these ports.

@WhistleFish "It's all a load of bollocks, console wars is for losers. My dad's bigger than your dad syndrome"

That applies to Nintendo's die-hard fans as well, not only to Xbox's or PS's.

Because most games are multiplatform these days, it's interesting to see the differences between the different versions because many people own more than one console or are considering buying a new one.

Even if a console is technically better a lot of other factors have to be considered and studied because some ports are well done and optimised while others are not.

Everybody knows that Switch is the less powerful this generation, slightly ahead of Wii U, but it can be used as a handheld and some ports are better optimised than others. Besides, Switch can handle some games better than others and people want to know all that.

Gonna pick this up over Christmas I think. Had it years ago on 360 but couldn't dedicate too much time to it then. Enter the Switch.

I am definitely going to buy this

PS3 port lol

@BlueOcean Yeah in raw clock speeds the One is definitely much faster than the Switches overclocked speeds. The point it's so crucial to make is the intense optimization the Tegra chip has undergone. Dig. Foundry have the vid. of running Doom on a PC with specs similar to the Switch with the PC clocks actually slightly higher but, Doom runs so much smoother on the Switch than on the build they put together. That's because of the single die of the Tegra. In other words, the overall output it displays is seemingly "better" than a similar speced PC with no optimization. It would be fairly easy to argue the AMD setup in the One is not as optimized as the Tegra or the X Box One X, which is pumping 4K on a chip that is clocked lower than PC's that output similar results.

@Prof_Yoshtonics Yes that does shed some light, thank you very much for taking the time for such a good explanation!

@datamonkey No problem, it was my pleasure.

@BlueOcean
I don't mind what Foundry do, even though it fuels the console war debate. For me there isn't a hardware war, i have multiple gaming devices, it's all about the games for me. I own 2 games on switch, Doom & Skyrim and my next game will be wolfenstein, it's become my portable Bethesda device. I have no intentions of buying any games developed by Ninty until Prime makes a appearance. I have a back catalogue on my Vita & JXD to finish, i don't play on my wii u anymore and the PS4 i bought a few months ago hasn't even left the box since i bought it from a mate at work, he moved onto the Pro, i bought it for remoteplay only. So yep no wars for me, it's all bollocks

@BlueOcean The Switch is about two times as powerful as the Wii U. I thought you realized that already.

@ClassSonicSatAm I can play any PS4 or PC game in Bed if I feel like. Not being able to use the main TV in the family room is a problem most guys have as soon as you make a family (long before the switch existed)

https://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1577/15777575/3316700-sw-rp.jpg

All you need is a Google OnHub wifi setup. Remote play and Nvidia Game Stream (on ipad) work perfect with it.

As for on the go. Again, that is not worth an extra $40 for me. I can play something else on the go.

@Agramonte How convenient is it? From the picture, I think the Switch is the most convenient setup.

@NinNin out all of them the iPad Air is the best when at home. The Wifi is great and the screen has the best colors out of all 3.

Having access to all my games is what is convenient. I'm not stuck with what is available on the Switch or Vita. When XenoBlade2 comes out I go back to the Switch

@Agramonte I mean, when you hold it. The tablet with controller grips doesn't seem very convenient to hold for a long time.

@NinNo, not really. You rest it just like when you watch a movie in bed with an iPad.

@NinNin "The Switch is about two times as powerful as the Wii U. I thought you realized that already".

A bit exaggerated.

@Agramonte I see. Thanks for the information.

Great thing about the Switch is that they're releasing so many games Nintendo fans like me never go to experience. Picking this one up today! I'll take portability over minor graphical differences.

@Agramonte Wait, your PC is large enough to live in?

@Nincompoop uhhhh, okay?

Picked it up on PS4 because why wouldn't I

@Agramonte

I have this on 360, but never finished it because I have kids and a bought a WiiU at launch. Having the gamepad made gaming easier for me being a family man. Thus, most of my gaming was on the WiiU and now Switch because it is easier for me to play games on the Switch or gamepad. I still own a PS4 so I can play the big AAA titles. But the majority of my gaming time is off of the television. So there are reasons besides homelessness to purchase DOOM, L.A. NOIRE, and SKYRIM on Switch. Not everyone wants to hide away, is single, or plays violent games in front of their children.

@Agramonte
And I would much rather have a Switch than buy a Vita. And I don't have an iPad, so the Switch is a better option for me.

@Zizzy Don't you think the cover picture look similar?

@Nincompoop Yes, but I don't understand why you'd be comparing a video game to a movie.